🔑 Access Codes & Smart Locks

Give guests secure, automated access to your property without manually sending door codes.

ChargeAutomation can display booking-specific, property-wide, or rental-specific access codes directly in the Guest Portal. You can also control when guests are allowed to see the code based on conditions such as payment, security deposit authorization, guest verification, or check-in timing.

With ChargeAutomation, you can:

🔑 Display unique codes for each reservation
🏠 Use one code for an entire property
🚪 Use different codes for individual rentals or rooms
🔄 Automatically retrieve codes from supported PMS integrations
🤖 Generate and manage codes through supported smart-lock integrations
⏰ Control when codes become visible to guests
🔒 Keep access information hidden until required conditions are completed

ChargeAutomation supports three main access-code configurations:

Dynamic variables automatically pull the correct information associated with the guest's reservation.

Use a Booking Access Code when every reservation has its own unique code.

Guest A → 4829
Guest B → 7316
Guest C → 9054

The correct code is automatically displayed for each guest.

The code can be:

If your PMS generates the smart-lock code, ChargeAutomation retrieves the code and places it in the booking's Access Code field.

Use: {Booking_Access_Code}

For example:

Your Door Code: {Booking_Access_Code}

ChargeAutomation automatically replaces the variable with the correct code for that booking.

Use a Property Access Code when the same access code is shared by all guests staying at a property.

Sunset Villa
Door Code: 2580

All bookings for Sunset Villa will use the same property access code.

Then use: {Property_Access_Code} in your Guidebook.

Use a Rental Access Code when one property contains multiple rooms, apartments, or rental units and each unit has its own code.

🏠 Property: City Apartments

Use: {Rental_Access_Code}

ChargeAutomation will display the code associated with the guest's rental.

This is especially useful for multi-unit buildings, hotels, and properties where each room or apartment has a different smart lock.

If your smart lock is connected to your PMS, the access-code workflow typically looks like this:

📅 Booking → 🏠 PMS → 🔐 Smart Lock → 🔄 PMS → ⚡ ChargeAutomation → 👤 Guest

The synchronization may be immediate or may take some time depending on the PMS and smart-lock integration.

ChargeAutomation also supports direct smart-lock integrations.

With the ChargeAutomation Locks Manager, you can connect supported lock/access systems, map devices to your properties, and automate guest access. ChargeAutomation currently supports 40+ smart-lock providers.

Once connected, ChargeAutomation can automate access-code creation, updates, and revocation for supported systems.

Access-code timing depends on the smart-lock provider and integration.

For ChargeAutomation's supported smart-lock workflow:

For reservations made more than 5 days before arrival, access codes are generally generated 5 days before check-in.

⚠️ Some smart locks may only generate codes 24–48 hours before check-in.

For reservations made within 5 days of arrival, access codes are generated immediately after booking.

If the reservation dates change or the guest is moved to another rental, the access code can be automatically updated for supported integrations.

For supported ChargeAutomation smart-lock integrations, codes are designed to activate 15 minutes before check-in and remain active until 15 minutes after check-out.

Important: Exact code-generation and activation behavior depends on your smart-lock provider.

You don't have to show an access code as soon as a reservation is created.

Use a Smart Guidebook / Conditional Guide to decide when the access information becomes visible.

For example, you can require:

📝 Online check-in completed

🛡️ Security deposit authorized

💳 Reservation Payment completed
⏰ A specific time before check-in
🪪 Submitted IDs are approved

This helps prevent guests from receiving sensitive access information too early.

Go to Settings → Guidebooks

Click + Add New Guide or open an existing Guidebook.

For example: 🔑 Your Door Code
Your personal access code is: {Booking_Access_Code}

Choose when the Guide or access-code information should become available.

💾 Save your Guidebook and test it using a sample booking.

Dynamic variables should automatically populate with the correct booking information.

The access code is displayed inside the guest's personalized Guest Portal.

Depending on your configuration, the Guest Portal can contain:

📝 Online check-in
💳 Payments
🔑 Access codes
🚪 Check-in instructions
📖 Digital Guidebook
📶 Wi-Fi information
🛍️ Upsells
📍 Property information

Guests don't need to download an app to access their Guest Portal.

If the conditions for the access-code Guide have not been met, the restricted information remains unavailable until the configured requirements are satisfied.

Before using your access-code workflow with real guests:

Confirm that the reservation appears correctly in ChargeAutomation.

Check the booking and make sure the Access Code field contains the expected value.

Make sure the correct variable is being used:

{Booking_Access_Code}

{Property_Access_Code}

or

{Rental_Access_Code}

Confirm that the code is hidden before the required conditions are completed and becomes visible afterward.

Open the Guest Portal using a test booking and confirm that the instructions are clear and easy to follow.

For the best guest experience, keep access instructions simple.

Instead of:

Your access code is 4829. Use it on the keypad located on the left side of the front door. Press the check mark after entering the code...

Use a clear visual format:

{Booking_Access_Code}

🚪 How to enter:
Enter the code on the keypad, then press ✓.

📍 Door:
Use the main entrance shown in the check-in instructions.

💡 Tip:
Keep this information available in your Guest Portal so you can access it whenever you need it.